Steve Jobs Swore the 10-Minute Rule Made Him Smarter. Modern Neuroscience Is Discovering He Was Right
Say you’re facing a difficult problem at work, and even though you’ve been sitting at your desk for the last 10 minutes straining your brain to think of a solution, you’re still coming up blank.
What do you do?
If you happened to be Steve Jobs, the answer to this question would be simple. You’d stand up and go for a walk.
“Taking a long walk was his preferred way to have a serious conversation,” reports Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson. “So much of our time together was spent quietly walking,” recalled legendary designer Jony Ives. Read any profile or book on Jobs, and you’ll find he spends a great deal of it padding around, much of it barefoot.
Jobs’s constant roaming wasn’t just about a love of the outdoors or physical exercise. The late Apple boss intuited something that neuroscience is now proving — walking makes your brain work a little bit better, helping you crack problems that stumped you while sitting.
That’s why at least one modern neuroscientist recommends we all make like Jobs and follow the 10-minute rule: If you haven’t solved a tough mental problem after 10 minutes of trying, stand up and go for a walk.
